


What Now?

by Solidoom



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:15:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28069149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Solidoom/pseuds/Solidoom
Summary: What does the future hold for the clones? Cody ponders this question rather than sleeping.
Kudos: 2





	What Now?

Cody was looking out the window of the Negotiator, the vast emptiness of space and the distant stars being his only company. No one was around, as everyone had gone to sleep hours ago, finally earning years worth of rest. Cody couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t fully grasp what was happening to him. He was standing in the same ship that carried many of his brothers to death’s doorstep. His bare feet felt the cold floor rumbling with life as the same engines that powered the Negotiator tirelessly throughout the war were now softly humming as they rested under the serene yet comforting darkness of space. Cody was still in his blacks. They were the same blacks that he had worn for so many years, it almost felt like they had become another part of him. The clothing hugged tightly to his body, but it didn’t pinch his skin like it would if it were a new pair of blacks. It was evidence of the long passing of time that led to where Cody was standing. The blacks provided the faint warmth that coursed through his body as his eyes and mind wandered, no longer bound to the present.

He thought about his past. He thought about all the victories and losses against the Separatists, where he and his brothers desperately fought back fleets of droids, and withstood bombardment after bombardment. He thought of the joyous faces of his men: their faces were scrunched up as a wide grin slowly spread across their face. But as the smile had easily come, it had quickly melted away into sorrow. They mourned the deaths of their brothers, and how they would never be able to see what they had accomplished. Cody quickly withdrew from his thoughts as he felt his heart begin to race and the darker side of his mind taking over. Quickly shaking the thoughts away, Cody was eager to find a distraction that would take his focus away from the taste of soot and iron coating his tongue. His eyes eventually settled on the dim reflection of himself casted on the window. The only light source in the empty room came from the millions and billions of stars that glittered in the distance. The light illuminated his body and left a ghostly and pale reflection staring at him on the glass. It felt like the first time in years since he last properly looked at himself. It wasn’t the same as when he woke up and cleaned up in front of the mirror everyday. He only ever gave himself a few quick glances before becoming too preoccupied with duties to do anything else.

Have the wrinkles increased? And when did I get such huge eye bags? Never really felt that old, but my face has definitely seen better days.

Cody tilted his head slightly to the side as he continued to observe what time and war had done to him.

“At least I don’t have grey hairs yet, so I guess that’s a relief. I hope I don’t end up bald like 99.” Cody smiled bitterly, drawing his attention to the floor.

After drawing a deep breath and pushing away the vivid images of his brothers dropping dead like flies, Cody muttered under his breath, “At least you didn’t die in vain right, 99?... Waxer?... Fives?

At least everything you have done has paid off right? No brother shall die in the hands of the Separatists ever again. Think about the future our fallen brethren have contributed to!”

Except when he finally came to the idea of the future, he drew a blank.

What does the future even mean for us? What have we been fighting for? Why do our brothers still die out there? We won the war. What now?

Cody realized what the uncomfortable nagging feeling was. It was the feeling that nothing had changed. One would expect a triumphant celebration, where everyone sung the songs of joy and sorrow. Where the people they helped and saved greeted them with open arms into a new republic. 

Except it was none of those things. After their final battle, the 212th battalion trudged back into the ship with their sore legs barely carrying their heavy shoulders. Their armor was caked in dust, dirt, and the blood of someone or something (at this point it was hard to tell apart whose blood was whose). It felt the same. It was like any other battle. Hundreds of his brothers left the ship, only half of them returned by the end of the day. The only thing that greeted them was the emptiness of the room, where the smiles of their brothers were carried onto the battlefield and never came back. No one sang the songs of victory, as their throats had been ripped to shreds by the screams and shouting of orders over the deafening sounds of gunfire and explosions. No one had the energy to celebrate. No one was aware that the last battles had been won. No one knew that this was the end.

As Cody came back to his senses, he lifted his head away from the blank polished floor and back to the window. He squinted his eyes, trying to isolate each and every star that moved across the black fabric of space. He knew there were no immediate answers to his pleas and questions, so he gave up and left the thoughts to sink back into the back of his mind. But for the time being, he had come to a simpler conclusion to a simpler question.

What now? Nothing.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there. For anyone reading this, thank you. I did not proof read. Very sloppy. This barely scratches the surface for what I have in mind.


End file.
